# What causes a wrapper to split??



## Zoomschwortz (Jul 14, 2006)

I had a great cigar lastnight, except the wrapper split. As I smoked it I could not only see, but also hear it splitting.

Why do they split and more importantly, how do I prevent it from happening?

I was lucky this time, because I was able to nub it. I just don't want to trust my luck again, I want to control it.

Thanks
Ken


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

I think that a lot of the time it is because the cigar is too moist, stored in too much humidity. Try dry boxing them for a few days before smoking.


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## NCRadioMan (Feb 28, 2005)

opusxox said:


> I think that a lot of the time it is because the cigar is too moist, stored in too much humidity. Try dry boxing them for a few days before smoking.


:tpd: Where do you keep your rh?

:ms NCRM


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## txmatt (May 22, 2004)

Split happens.

Humidity instability is the usual cause of wrapper splits. 

If the cigar gets too dry the leaf gets brittle and cracks very easily.

High humidity can also lead to splits. As the filler tobacco gets too moist it will swell and put pressure on the wrapper and binder that can lead to it splitting.

Certain wrappers are more prone to splitting than others, and can split even if the cigar is kept under consistant proper humidity conditions. Cameroon wrapper is extremely fragile and splits much more easily than other leaves. 

If you aren't already using silica beads to control humidity in your humidor, do so. If the cigar was smoked from a shop check the hygrometer in the store next time you are in there. Avoid buying cigars that look swollen at the foot, this is a sign of overhumidification.

Hope this helps
-Matt-


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## TechMetalMan (Apr 2, 2006)

Yep, any drastic change in humidity will do it, and I think a rapid change in temperature will cause the same...

Like someone posted the other night, he went outside to smoke and the humidity outside was almost 100% (it began to pour rain) and the stick split if I remember the thread correctly.


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## joed (Nov 12, 2005)

My experience tell sme that splitting is most often related to uneven humdity through out the cigar. With uneven humidity, the layers of the cigar to not expand at the same rate or have the same level of elasticity.

cigars kept in a humidor with a constant RH can still have this problem if they are not rotated or turned for a long period of time.

One little trick that I have adopted is to put those little stir straws that you get in a bar between the layers of cigars in the humidors. This allows air and humidity a better chance to move between the cigars.


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## Beagle Boy (Jul 26, 2006)

Being from Minnesota, a rapid temp change (and probably how that effects the RH) also can lead to a rupture


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## (909) (Jul 27, 2004)

It looks like you've got some solid answers so far but let me throw in my :2 .

A few years ago, I took a CAO Brazilia from my home at 1500' in a semi coastal area (humid) to an area that we vacation at (9-10,000ft and very dry). I took the cigar out of the bag that it was in and left it on the table while I made dinner. When I went to smoke the cigar, the wrapper unraveled and I couldn't stop it. It completely came apart before I could smoke it.

I'd have to agree with the rapid RH change theory.


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## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Here's something I wrote some time ago in response to a fellow whose cigar split lengthwise while he was smoking in a room that was heated by a radiant (IR) heater. I would like to hear what other folks have experienced as far as the thickness of the wrapper of cigars that have unravelled or cracked.

1. _Moistened tobacco is more elastic than dry tobacco._ More precisely, moisture in the wrapper will shift the yield/fracture point on the stress-strain curve. Mechanical engineers, please chime in. The effect can be illustrated by the following example: A dry piece of uncooked lasagna noodle is quite brittle, especially in tension (meaning pulling the noodle from its two ends). However, soak it overnight (you don't even need to cook it) and it will swell with water and become much more flexible. You will be able to grab the ends and stretch it slightly whereas doing so with the dry noodle would cause it to fracture _well before the same degree of stretching is achieved._ This is the key and leads to the second point...

2. _A dry room will quickly drop the equilibrium moisture level in tobacco._ It's commonly quoted that "wet" cigars contain about 14% humidity. This level is pretty low already and as the wrapper is so thin and light, very little needs to be driven from the leaf, (probably on the order of mere milligrams) to push it into the range where it will become brittle. Especially problematic is the fact that you were using a radiant heater. If the heater was directed toward the smokers, then the infrared radiation will directly warm and more rapidly dry off the wrapper, and unless you roll you cigar as you smoke it, one side will be preferentially affected. This effect spells the beginning of trouble and part two of the one-two punch is as follows...

3. _Warm tobacco expands._ More to the point, warm tobacco will also absorb more moisture as it expands. As is the case with most any material, making tobacco warmer will cause it to expand. However, in a cigar, the situation is slightly more complex with this complexity potentially resulting in a greater risk of splitting. The reason is this: Not only will tobacco expand slightly in thickness and across the flat dimension, the tobacco is stacked. The net result of this stacking is to _add up stresses_ which result from expanding leaves that are physically in contact with each other. Try to visualize it this way:

You have a stack of 100 sheets of paper. Now, let's pretend that pushing the top sheet 1mm to the right hand side simulates the expansion of that piece of leaf. Ok, 1mm is not a lot. Now, push the second sheet 1mm. Then the third and so on. After 25 sheets have been pushed, the top sheet will be 1 full inch out from the stack. Of course, in the real case the additive effect is not always in the same direction nor are all filler leaves aligned and in perfect and intimate contact with each other. If this were true, the majority of all cigars would split under any condition.

Now, as for how the cigar split.

4. _When hollow pipes fail, they split lengthwise._ Hollow cylinders that are pressurized experience _hoop stress_. That is, because of the nature of stresses on a hollow shell, the greatest stress is in the circumferential direction. That's why when tanks and such fail, they will always appear to split from top to bottom. Rarely, if ever, do they split into a top half and a bottom half. Hoop stress failure is also the operative mechanism in the unfortunate medical condition, aortic dissection (such as in Marfan Syndrome). You could consider the wrapper and binder of a cigar as concentric shells subject to this hoop stress as the filler expands. _(note: sorry for the slightly techie explanation)_

So, the bottom line is as follows:
1. Taking a cigar from a humid atmosphere to a dry one will immediately begin the drying out process. 
2. Drying out is exacerbated by forced air or radiant heating in the direction of the smoker.
3. Thin wrappers will lose humidity relatively more rapidly than thicker wrappers and thus lapse into brittleness.
4. When the wrapper fails, it will either crack and unravel, or in cases where the stresses have substantially built up, split up a good length of the cigar.

Here is an interesting page about humidity in cigar storage and smoking.

Wilkey


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## opus (Jun 21, 2005)

There is good information in 3x5card's post. I would add that wrappers are obviously on the outside of the cigar and are the first leaves affected by humidity changes. Couple this with the fact that wrappers are stretched tight around the filler which is compressed and not stretched like the wrapper, there can be a lot of pressure exerted on the wrapper due to humidity issues.:2


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## donp (Mar 5, 2006)

Waaah!! I didn't get to say anything!!  
But, otoh, what has been said and described is right on the buttonhead.  
Aint this place grand? You ask a question, and get all the information you need.


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## RJT (Feb 12, 2005)

TechMetalMan said:


> Yep, any drastic change in humidity will do it, and I think a rapid change in temperature will cause the same...
> 
> Like someone posted the other night, he went outside to smoke and the humidity outside was almost 100% (it began to pour rain) and the stick split if I remember the thread correctly.


I call this "humidity shock" this is when the cigar has a drastic change in humidity and or temp. It happens alot during shipping. Other factors mentioned in this thread can lead to split wrappers. RJT


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## Zoomschwortz (Jul 14, 2006)

donp said:


> Waaah!! I didn't get to say anything!!
> But, otoh, what has been said and described is right on the buttonhead.
> Aint this place grand? You ask a question, and get all the information you need.


You are ever so right. Thank you for this great information.

I will try to answer some of the questions:

I received this box of CAO GOL Monday evening and put them into my humidor after removing the celophane.

The R/H has stayed in the 67%-68% range since I bought it and 24 hours after putting these gars in, it was @ 67% I smoked this after being in the humi 24 hours.

There is no swelling of the foot.

The temp in the humi is close to room temp.

The stir straws are a great idea, I'm gonna get some.

Wilkey, lots of great info.

More questions:
Do you think my R/H is okay for a GOL?

Do you think it will get better the longer the gars are in the humi?

Thank you for all of the information.
Ken


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## neoflex (Jan 3, 2006)

I always thought it was drive bys. J/K couldn't resist plus all the above posts are solid answers!:r


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## Aaron (Nov 28, 2005)

*3x5card:*
Posts: 132 
Ring Gauge: 252​:2 Holy frickin' moley!
Does ANYONE else have a P/RG ratio like that?!?!? :dr

That's gotta be a CS record or something.


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## raisin (Dec 3, 2005)

All great answers, but more importantly, how do you stop a split?
Well if you have a good torch lighter, find the base of the split and give it a good pinpoint burn- right through the wrapper. About a quarter inch black spot is what you are shooting for.
If you are in luck this will relieve the stress, end the crack, and once the main coal reaches this point, balance will be restored.


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## donp (Mar 5, 2006)

raisin said:


> All great answers, but more importantly, how do you stop a split?
> Well if you have a good torch lighter, find the base of the split and give it a good pinpoint burn- right through the wrapper. About a quarter inch black spot is what you are shooting for.
> If you are in luck this will relieve the stress, end the crack, and once the main coal reaches this point, balance will be restored.


Interesting, thanks for the advice; I'm gonna try it if and when I have this happen to my gars.


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## Zoomschwortz (Jul 14, 2006)

Aaron said:


> *3x5card:*
> Posts: 132
> Ring Gauge: 252​:2 Holy frickin' moley!
> Does ANYONE else have a P/RG ratio like that?!?!? :dr
> ...


Thanks Raisin I will try that too. I just hope I won't need to:w

As for 3x5card, Do a search of his post's. If he ever writes a book, I'd like one of the first copies.

I wish members of the jungle could vote on giving him honorary Nanners.

Thanks again for all of the information.
Ken


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